Council is undertaking the formal process of naming the unnamed road off Moyston–Dunkeld Road, opposite White Patch Road in Moyston.

A new home was recently constructed along this road, which requires a formal address to ensure accurate property identification for essential services, including postal delivery, utilities, and emergency services.

Ararat Rural City Council is inviting the community to provide their final feedback on a proposal to name an unnamed road in Moyston.

FEEDBACK SO FAR - SEPTEMBER COMMUNITY CONSULTATION

In September 2025, Council received 21 submissions during the first stage of consultation undertaken as part of the road naming process. The community was asked if it agreed with Council's initial proposal to name the road 'Prospectors Lane'. Most respondents suggested the name 'Withers Lane' instead, noting the Withers family’s long-standing connection to Moyston and the Ararat district, as well as their contributions to the history of the goldfields and Eureka.

NEXT STEPS - DECEMBER/JANUARY COMMUNITY CONSULTATION

As part of the formal process, Council is seeking community feedback on the proposed name 'Withers Lane', as per the guidelines in the Geographic Place Names Act 1998. Adjoining landowners will receive written notice of Council’s intention to name the road 'Withers Lane'.

Feedback submissions are open via the Engage Ararat platform until 17 January 2026.

Council will consider any final submissions received during the consultation period at a future Council Meeting.

A map showing the road and surrounding area is provided below.

THE HISTORY

From the 1850s, Samuel and Anastasia Withers helped shape Moyston and the wider Ararat district, first as goldfields settlers and later as orchardists and shopkeepers supporting a growing rural community. Descendants shared stories of the family moving from the Bendigo and Ballarat goldfields to the Ararat area around 1858, eventually establishing the Bristol Orchard on the Moyston–Great Western Road.

Samuel worked as a miner and businessman and Anastasia’s skills as a seamstress, with several accounts noting that Anastasia was one of the women believed to have sewn the famous Eureka Flag that flew above the Eureka Stockade. This remarkable link between Moyston, the Victorian gold rush and a defining moment in Australia’s democratic history was a strong theme in the community’s support for the name Withers Lane.

Samuel and Anastasia’s contribution to Moyston life spanned from the Bristol Orchard, where fruit trees were still remembered on the site many years later, to a general store and fruit business that traded from Moyston to Horsham. Samuel and Anastasia are buried in the Moyston Cemetery, further underlining the strength of their connection to the township.